1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for controlling a vehicle by teeth-clenching, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for controlling a vehicle according to electromyogram generated from a temporalis muscle when a quadriplegic disabled person clenches teeth.
2. Description of the Related Art
Disabled persons have various types of impairments. Generally, a person suffered by spinal cord damage is a quadriplegia which means a person paralyzes all four limbs. Various vehicles and driving method thereof were introduced for quadriplegic disabled persons. For example, an electric wheelchair and various driving methods thereof were introduced.
As a conventional method of controlling an electric wheelchair for a quadriplegic disabled person, a joy stick based controlling method and a sip-puff based controlling method were introduced. According to the joy stick based controlling method, a disabled person is allowed to control the electric wheelchair by arranging a joy stick under the jaw and moving the joy stick using the jaw. However, the disabled person may have suffering from his neck because the disable person consistently controls the joy stick through moving his neck while driving the electric wheelchair. Also, the sight of disabled person is limited because he must hold his neck while controlling the electric wheelchair in one direction. Therefore, the method of controlling the electric wheelchair using the joy stick has a safety problem. According to the sip-puff based controlling method, a disabled person controls the electric wheelchair by inhaling or exhaling air through a breath controlling device having a shape of straw. The sip-puff controlling method is not good for the disabled person in a view of sanitary because the disabled person must bite the breath controlling device. Also, the look of controlling the electric wheelchair is not enjoyable. In particular, the disabled person needs to learn how to control the electric wheelchair with the breath controlling device and it requires plenty of time to be familiar since it is not intuitive to control the electric wheelchair.
Hereinafter, shortcomings of conventional apparatuses and methods for controlling a vehicle for a disabled person will be described.
A first conventional method of controlling the vehicle for disabled persons by moving shoulder was introduced in Korea Patent Application No. 10-2003-00118856. In the conventional method using the shoulder, a driving control device is disposed at a coat or a jacket of a disabled person having spinal cord impairment and the disabled person controls the electric wheelchair by moving his shoulder. That is, the driving control device senses a moving direction and a level of the shoulder and controls the electric wheelchair according to the sensed movements of the shoulder. However, such a conventional method cannot be applied for a disabled person cannot move his shoulder. Also, the disabled person may have suffering of his shoulder because the disabled person must lift up the shoulder while driving the electric wheelchair in a forward direction.
A second conventional method of controlling the vehicle for disabled person was disclosed in Korea Patent Application No. 10-2003-0005471 entitled “ELECTRIC WHEELCHAIR INTERFACE DEVICE AND METHOD USING ELECTROMYOGRAM SIGNAL AND ELECTRIC WHEELCHAIR.” The second conventional method obtains the electromyogram signal generated from a sternocleidomastoid muscle and a trapezius muscle when a disabled person moves his neck and controls the electric wheelchair according to the obtained electromyogram signal. In order to use the second conventional method, the disabled person must wear a sensor for obtaining the electromyogram signal on his neck. Therefore, the disabled person may be uncomfortable and have suffering of his neck since the disabled person consistently moves his neck to control the electric wheelchair.
A third conventional method of controlling the vehicle using a head-band type sensor and a bite switch for disabled person was disclosed in Korea Patent Application No. 10-2003-0088730. In order to use the third conventional method, a disabled person must wear a head-band type slope detecting sensor on his head to sense a direction and an angle of tilted head and holds a bite switch in his mouth to drive the electric wheelchair. Such a bite switch makes the disabled person uncomfortable.